One of the most important ways to protect your family is with the latest smoke alarms. The Queensland government has recognized this and introduced new smoke alarm laws that have been phasing in since Jan ’17. These laws require installation of interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms.
South East Electrical use the best smoke detector systems available. Below are our three main solutions for interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms. These solutions provide cost-effective ways for you to become fully compliant and keep your home safe. All our smoke alarm installations are done to ensure compliance with the new and incoming Queensland laws. (For more information, read about the Queensland Smoke Alarm Legislation.) You can reply on licensed electrician smoke alarm installation from South East Queensland to make your home safe and compliant with current and incoming laws.
Professionally installed smoke alarms ensure you are compliant with laws and are keeping your home safe.
Our number one concern is to keep everyone safe. Queensland laws have been carefully crafted to ensure everyone escapes a fire safely. By following the details of these regulations we can increase your chances of suviving a fire.
Compliance is not an option for those who own property. Make sure your smoke alarm systems are completely compliant with the updated Queensland smoke alarm laws. This will include using interconnected photelectric smoke alarms and knowing the correct placement of those alarms.
Correct placement is critical within the new laws. We explain more about them below for those who want to know more.
For more information see our Ultimate Guide To Smoke Alarm Installation.
With recent legislative changes changing compliance responsibilities for home owners, you need a trusted partner like South East Electrical to guide.
Our experience and expertise ensures that your property will be fully compliant with laws regarding interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms.
Photoelectric smoke alarms have replaced ionisation. They're much better at detecting smouldering fires and our now required by Queensland law.
When one alarm sounds, they all sound. This has been proven to increase survival and is now required by Queensland law.
Hardwired smoke alarms are preferred for their reliability.
Where circumstances don't allow for wires, we'll use battery operated alarms.
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In Queensland, smoke alarms must be installed in specific locations to meet legal requirements and maximise safety. According to legislation, smoke alarms must be:
✅ Installed in:
Every bedroom
Hallways that connect bedrooms to the rest of the house
Each level of the home (even if no bedrooms are present)
Between living areas and bedrooms if there’s no hallway
For multi-storey homes, at least one alarm must be placed on each level, ideally near the exit route.
🚫 Don’t install smoke alarms near:
Bathrooms (steam can cause false alarms)
Ceiling fans, air conditioners or vents (they can blow smoke away from the detector)
Corners or where walls meet the ceiling (airflow may be restricted)
📏 Alarms should be:
Mounted on the ceiling
At least 300mm from walls/light fittings
At least 400mm from the blades of ceiling fans
✅ Correct placement saves lives. For full compliance and optimal protection, have a licensed electrician install your smoke alarms in the right locations.
In Queensland, only licensed electricians are legally allowed to install hardwired smoke alarms or interconnect multiple alarms. While battery-operated alarms can be installed by homeowners, any system that involves wiring or connection between alarms must be installed by a professional.
Doing it yourself may not comply with Queensland legislation introduced in 2022 and 2027, and could result in safety risks, insurance issues, or fines if the installation is found to be non-compliant.
✅ For full compliance and peace of mind, always use a licensed electrician for smoke alarm installation.
Queensland’s smoke alarm laws are some of the strictest in Australia — and for good reason: they save lives.
Under current legislation:
🔹 As of 1 January 2022, all homes being sold or leased must have:
Photoelectric smoke alarms (not ionisation)
Smoke alarms that are less than 10 years old
Hardwired or powered by a non-removable 10-year battery
Interconnected with each other (so if one goes off, they all go off)
Installed in every bedroom, in hallways connecting bedrooms, and on every level
🔹 By 1 January 2027, all owner-occupied homes must meet the same requirements.
Failure to comply can delay property sales, void insurance claims, or pose serious safety risks.
✅ For legal compliance and safety peace of mind, hire a licensed electrician to install smoke alarms according to Queensland’s fire safety regulations.
In Queensland, smoke alarms must be replaced every 10 years from the manufacture date — not the installation date. You’ll usually find the date printed on the back of the alarm.
Even if it’s still working, the internal sensor degrades over time and may not detect smoke properly after 10 years. If your alarm doesn’t have a date or it’s unreadable, it’s best to assume it’s due for replacement.
Also remember:
Test alarms monthly
Replace batteries yearly (unless it’s a 10-year lithium battery)
Clean alarms every 6 months to remove dust or insects
✅ Stay safe and compliant — if your smoke alarm is nearing 10 years old, it’s time to upgrade.
Our first choice is Red Smoke Alarms, quality Australian-designed alarms, followed by Voltex and Clipsal.
This 100% Australian owned company manufactures and sells smoke alarms with a 10 year warranty. Given that you’re required to replace your smoke alarm after 10 years, that means you never own a smoke detector that isn’t under warranty.
They’re functionally great also. With a central controller that connects to each alarm, you can test, locate and silence any alarm from a central location. If you’re a landlord, allowing your occupant to silence false alarms at the push of a button reduces call outs. If you’re the occupant, then silencing an alarm without poking at a screaming alarm with a broom is a game-changer.
Red smoke alarms also have a hush button. So if you know you’re about to burn the toast, hush the smoke alarm at the push of a button before the smoke rises.
Clipsal are one of the most recognizable names in electrical and smoke detector equipment. This highly respected brand supplies reliable and effective smoke alarms.
We use Clipsal smoke alarms when adding to an existing installation. This allows us to provide a cost-effective solution that provides safety and compliance for the household.
We are South East Queensland electricians for smoke alarm testing and installation.
Experts in interconnected photoelectric smoke detectors, fully versed in the compliance requirements for Queensland legislation.
South East Electrical provides comprehensive smoke detector testing for agents, landlords, and tenants.
The test will include the following:
Being a landlord, you need to ensure you're compliant with Queensland laws. With recent changes, this means that you should have interconnected photoelectric smoke detectors. If you're unsure of your properties compliance, book our smoke alarm testing service today.
Keep your property safe and keep it compliant with our smoke alarm testing.
New smoke alarm legislation will make Queensland households the safest in Australia in relation to fire safety.
The new legislation specifies that all Queensland dwellings will be required to have interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms in all bedrooms, in hallways that connect bedrooms with the rest of the dwelling and on every level.
It's a simple fact that smoke detectors save lives. As a home owner you have a responsibility to make sure your smoke detectors are operating correctly. The new interconnected photoelectric smoke detectors increase safety over older smoke alarms.
With the introduction of new smoke alarm legislation in Queensland your obligations as a home owner or landlord have changed.
To comply with legislation, interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms are required:
Smoke alarms must comply with the Standard AS 3786-2014.
The following will come into effect by 2027.
The short answer is, photoelectric alarms are better at sensing smoke than ionization alarms. Research has shown that the majority of home fires start as smouldering fires, where there is more smoke but less flame. Ionization alarms are good at detecting fires but not as good when their is smoke. Smoke can be lethal on its own so it’s important for fire alarms or react to smoke.
Ionization alarms have a small amount of radioactive material in them, held between two electronically charged plates. Ions flow between the plates (because of the radioactive material) and is measured. When smoke passes between the plates it disrupts this flow of ions. This is when the alarm is triggered.
Photoelectric alarms are light sensing alarms. They have a light that is angled away from away from the sensor. When smoke entered the chamber, it difuses and refracts that light, causing some to hit the sensor. This is when the alarm is triggered.
Yes, you can.
There are several things for you to consider. The first is your compliance requirements. This is especially pertinent of you’re a landlord. You need to make sure you’re fully compliant with the current and future legislation.
Next you should consider that the alarms, if not hard wired, should have a 10 year battery in them. These are available on the market so make sure you get 10 year battery smoke larms only.
Lastly, make sure they’re interconnected. You can, for instance, get Google Nest smoke alarms, which will interconnect via an app. They’re currently $189* each though, so oftentimes they’re more expensive than having us do the job for you, for any decent sized home.
*JB Hi Fi at time of writing, Oct 2021.
Regardless of which make or model of alarm you have, you must replace it every ten years.
That applies for both hard wired and battery operated alarms. During their lifespan, they can accummulate dust and debris that will cause them to be ineffective. Ten years is a long time for them to operate flawlessly. It is therefore a legal requirement to change the alarms after ten years.
The most basic test of a smoke alarm is to press and hold the test/hush button for 3 seconds. It should sound a test alarm for you.
Make sure that all (interconnected) alarms sound when you press the button.
You should do this every month.
A more advanced test is to use a smoke alarm tester to test how well it detects smoke.
Do not ignite combustible materials to test your smoke alarm. This can cause accidents.
The quick answer is, you have a flat battery.
This is a common problem for older smoke alarms. Their 9V battery should be replaced every year.
What is happening is, your alarm can no longer maintain the voltage it needs to properly monitor your home. If sends out a warning chirp to let you know.
Replace the battery immediately. (You should also consider upgrading your alarms at this point, if you don’t already have interconnected photoelectric alarms.)
Ionisation smoke alarms have a small piece of radioctive material in them. The decay of that radioactive material allows a current to pass between to contact points. (That’s what ionisation is.) When smoke interupts the ionisation, the detector knows it should down and alarm.
Ionisation alarms looks like this:
Photoelectric smoke alarms shine a beam of light. When that beam is refracted by smoke, it hits a sensor and the alarm is sounded. Like this:
Photoelectric smoke alarms have been shown to be more effective at detecting smouldering fire. These are the types of fires most commonly experienced in the home. They can, therefore, give you earlier warning of fires in your home.